The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Here, the term electrophotographic image forming apparatus refers to an apparatus using an electrophotographic image formation type process to form an image on a recording medium. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (laser beam printer, LED printer or the like), a facsimile device and a word processor.
Here, the process cartridge may be a cartridge which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus and which contains as a unit an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one of process means such as charging means, developing means, cleaning means, or the like. The process cartridge may be a cartridge which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus and which contains as a unit a electrophotographic photosensitive member and a process means, such as charging means, developing means, cleaning means, or the like. The process cartridge may be a cartridge which is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus by a user and which contains as a unit a electrophotographic photosensitive member and developing means. Since the process cartridge is detachably mountable relative to the main assembly of the device, the maintenance of the device is easy.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the electrophotographic image formation type is such that a latent image is formed by selectively exposing the electrophotographic photosensitive member uniformly charged by charging. means to image information light. The latent image is developed with toner by a developing means into a toner image. The toner image thus formed is transferred onto a recording medium by transferring means to form an image on the recording material.
When the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, the process cartridge position is desirably precise.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein when a process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, the process cartridge can be correctly positioned with respect to the main assembly of the apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly, the process cartridge is correctly positioned with respect to the main assembly of the apparatus in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein when the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus, a photosensitive drum can be rotated through a coupling.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the position of the process cartridge relative to the main assembly of the apparatus in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum is determined by the abutment between an end portion of a shaft having a projection and a surface defining a hole.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.